Embrace Eternity - Hidden Desires
by UWLurkerZz
Summary: Dener Shepard is a rogue Alliance spy, a brother to the famous Commander Maya Shepard, savior of the Citadel. When one of Maya's most dearest friends and companions needs her help in a certain heist, two lost and hurt souls find each other. Will it last ? FShep/Miranda romance, MShep/Kasumi romance...for a better clarification, look at my story - "Embrace Eternity - Fire and Ice"
1. Beginning

_**A/N - A romance story between Kasumi and my MSHep, Dener. A Paragade Infiltrator. This story will later contain lemons and adult stuff, lots of talk and stuff like that. Leave a review if you liked, + know that english isn't my native language, so there maybe mistakes. Enjoy.**_

* * *

"Password, Commander Shepard ?"

Those were the first words of the most famous Thief in the galaxy, Kasumi Goto, which she spoke to, now her best friend, Commander Maya Shepard. Those three words were the beginning of their never ending friendship. Maya trusted only few people in the galaxy, and she was very proud and glad for having Kasumi in that small circle of people. At first, she had no idea how she should act. Careful, or calm. Friendly or aggressive. There were lot's of people that wanted Maya dead, and Kasumi could have been one of them. But since they fought together, Maya learned to trust her with her life. Yes, she had secretly loved the _Ice Queen _Miranda Lawson, but it was Kasumi who had her utmost trust. Not that she didn't trusted Miranda, quite the opposite. But it was Kasumi's reassuring smile that secretly told her _Everything will be alright _every time she needed to hear it. She was her best friend, almost like a sister. Maya was indeed shocked when she saw both Miranda and Kasumi laughing in Kasumi's cabin, obviously talking about girl stuff and other non-important things. Maya was almost jealous. For Kasumi, since she could make Miranda smile, and for Miranda, slowly taking her best friend away from her. Their first talk together was rather strange. Miranda desperately tried to keep her icy form, but seeing Kasumi and Maya laugh at her poor performance, and in the end all three of them ended up laughing at each other. Kasumi knew what Maya felt, they joked about it every time they were alone. That she took another suicide mission if she thought she could break the barriers of the _Ice Queen. _Kasumi liked Miranda. She was cold, yes. But only outside. Inside, she was indeed perfect. Caring, friendly.. She even joked a few times, even thought the jokes were horrible. This was Maya's perfect team. The way they were synced was incredible and beautiful. Their tactics were flawless. No enemy, big or small, strong or weak could face them and leave the battlefield alive. And it was that one mission on Horizon that tested both their trust in each other, and their friendship. Her best friend, and the woman she loved. She knew her trust in them was correct. No matter what, she could trust them with her life. As could Miranda. For once in her life she could finally let her guard down when she was in private with these two magnificent women. For once, she could truly relax. She had a best friend, and a woman she loved. Even thought the second one came a little later.

* * *

It was a nice, calm night. As always, Maya was in her quarters, silently and intensively thinking about her perfect Operative. It was her daily routine. Standing from the bed, she went to her computer, wanting to see what was new. She smiled, feeling the familiar presence right next to her. Kasumi loved these hide and seek games. She uncloaked, having a huge grin on her face. Grin that meant nothing but trouble.  
"I got it" Kasumi said with joy, as she sit on Maya's couch. She was overjoyed. Maya, on the other hand, was tired. She yawned, going to the bathroom to brush her teeth before finally slipping into the dream lands. Maya wanted to sleep so badly. "Got what exactly ?" she asked from the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. Kasumi, at the moment, made herself at home, already too familiar where Maya secretly kept her beverages, and her well hidden secrets nobody knew about. Nobody but Kasumi of course. "Everything you need for a party, Ms. Gun" said Kasumi as she was waiting for Maya to finish her activities in the bathroom. In the meantime, Kasumi was intensively observing her commander's quarters, looking for anything new. It was that picture which was standing on her desk that made her smile. There were lots of picture on her desk, but Kasumi noticed only the first two. On the first one was Maya, Kasumi and Miranda, each of them having their characteristic look. Kasumi was making horns with her fingers, Miranda had an icy glare, with a tiny bit of smile, but her hands were around Maya. Yes, she was actually hugging her. And Maya ? She was overjoyed, having Miranda so close to her. Their skins practically touching. Maya, at the moment, was very happy.

The second one was...strange. She didn't knew Maya and Miranda were so close, they actually had a picture together. Just the two of them. Not hugging or anything, but staring at each other, smiling. At the picture, they were both actually very happy. It was the first time she saw Miranda smiling, and it was very cute. Kasumi was staring at the pictures for so long, she didn't noticed Maya was already done in the bathroom, and now she was standing right behind her. A loud sight awoke Kasumi from her trance, then she felt Maya's head on her shoulder, smiling. Kasumi smiled too, taking her hood off and then she went to the couch. "How did you convince her to do this ?" asked Kasumi, seriously not believing that the _Ice Queen _actually agreed to this. "She lost a bet" Maya sat next to her, scratching the back of her head."A bet ?" Kasumi asked again, not fully understanding how could Miranda Lawson attend herself in Maya's silly games. "Yep" Maya laughed.

"So, what do you have ?" Maya asked, and Kasumi told her her genial plan. They spend the good two hours and the tiredness Maya felt suddenly left, making her fully aware of what was Kasumi saying. The plan was plain simple. Get in, open the vault, steal the hardware and get out. Quite simple. Except that it wasn't. They needed help. After everything was said, Maya stated simply, pointing at the map in front of them. "You do realize we can't do this on our own ?" Kasumi stared first at the map, then at her. She knew Maya was right. This was not a two person action. They needed help. Maya lightly scratched her chin, a small idea came to her mind. She smiled. Kasumi, on the other hand, was not smiling at all, which was pretty weird since she was smiling all the time. Nuzzling her eyes, she went up from the couch, pacing through the room, desperately trying to think of something. Then she gave up, turning to face Maya, a broken look on her face. "Yeah, but what else can we do ? You're the only one invited. Others will only draw attention. This is our only chance Maya, i am not letting it slip" Maya went to her secret bar, pouring two strong drinks, then she went to Kasumi, offering her the ultimate tool of relaxing. "Well i already asked Miranda to provide tactical support through the comm link. And i think i know someone who could help us from the inside" drinking her beverage, Maya went to her console, searching for a name she knew very well. Kasumi was slightly annoyed by how confusing Maya was acting. "I'm the only one who can cloak, if you didn't noticed Maya" at this Maya laughed again, this time pretty louder. Shouting a big BINGO in the process. Turning to Kasumi with a huge grin on her face, Kasumi was confused. "I didn't thought about one of our people Kas. EDI ?" Maya called to EDI, still staring at Kasumi. Her confused gaze made her giggle in a ways she haven't in a while. "Yes Commander ?"

"I want you to send a message to Operative Dener Shepard, stationed on the Citadel. Codename ACHERON" in Kasumi's face was an unanswered question. Who the hell was Dener Shepard ? "Will do Shepard" EDI said, doing exactly what she was told. Maya yawned loudly, and scratched her eyes. Then she said to Kasumi with a tired voice. "You, go to sleep. Tomorrow we will talk about this again, with both Miranda and Dener. Trust me Kas, i want to help you more than anything, but this must be planed, with atleast two or three gateway plans. This is not just a simple robbery" Maya said with a reassuring look on her face. The kind that made Kasumi give up. "Alright... This better work Maya"  
"It will...Goodnight" said Maya, Kasumi, using her cloak skill to silently leave Maya's quarters.  
"I wish you would atleast ONCE leave like a normal person"


	2. Memories of Past

_**A/N - I would like to thank TDP619 for all support and kind words. Since you liked this story the most, im dedicating this chapter to you ;)**_

**_Please, im using Google translate for the Turkish words, so i hope i didn't offend anyone, and if someone knows a better translation of the words, i will be more than HAPPY to change it in my story. Just please leave a review or send me a PM. I want the Embrace Eternity series to have more European/Asian background, but sadly i know only my language, which is terrible, and English. Maybe a little German too lol. If anyone would like to help me with translations, i would be very glad :) _**

**_Im changing the facts in the ME universe a little, hope you don't mind. Leave a review if you enjoyed, and well... Good reading :P _**

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Maya woke up with a start, having one of her nightmares again. It was either from stress, or excitement. Or maybe fear ? She never knew for sure. All of those things were present, but never at once. It was like a shot of adrenalin. She knew it was there, but never payed it much attention. She had to remain focused. Mainly for her squad. Partly for her and Miranda. And for her friends. They needed to survive, and she needed to make sure that exactly this would happen.

Stress, as everyone used to say, was very underestimated. The whole _Suicide Mission _thing made her think about everything. She began to process every mission they had, every mistake they made, every available possibilities. Hell, she even began to write her reports, which made Miranda worry for a second.  
Few hours after every mission they had, Maya began her _Training Sessions, _as she used to call them. The cargo hold was large enough for battle simulations, so everyone agreed to this little plan. They trained everything. Biotics, muscles, brains, shooting, hand to hand combat, running, hacking, sniping, Kasumi's favorite game, Hide and Seek, that was training their stealth. Even blade combat or ammo modding. Stronger biotics like Jack or Miranda practiced their endurance with barrier holding. Grunt was extremely happy to charge at them, Zaeed was shooting like crazy, and Tali's little drone used everything it got, and still. Their barriers never fell. Extranet proved very useful in their study, along with Mordin's ideas and upgrades and Miranda's expertise. Everything was going as planed, which made Maya think more intesively. Maybe there was a chance to survive this after all.

Then there was this strange mixture of excitement and fear. The feeling that followed her since her awakening. Since her first fight for Cerberus colors. She knew Cerberus couldn't be trusted. At least, not entirely. It was true that Alliance did nothing, while Cerberus, a terrorist group as everyone called them, was spending billions of credits to preserve humanity. To save the colonists, to stop the Collectors, and ultimately, the Reapers. The Alliance, along with the Council, turned its back to humanity. Again. Starting with Udina, ending with Anderson. Cerberus was right this time, and Maya will follow them, if it means she could save some more people. It was in her genes, after all.

Maya went to her small bathroom, splashing cold water on her face. There was still time to sleep, but those dreams wouldn't let her. They were getting more intense every night. Plus, her cybernetics were showing, her emerald eyes were taking a dark, ruby taint, along with her scars. Both Dr. Chakwas and Miranda explained that extreme stress were causing Maya's cybernetics to fight with her body. Since it was only cosmetic, Maya gave it no attention. It gave her an intimidating appearance, and that was exactly she needed when dealing with mercenaries. The only thing that bothered her were her eyes. The characteristic emerald color that was present in her whole family. Her sisters and brothers, all had the same eyes. The shade of color. Maya felt like she was loosing her bond she had with her siblings. She remembered all those times when their mother called them _Emerald Devils. _Suddenly it hit her. Mother. It was a long time since she saw her. It felt like lifetime, which was funny since she already had one behind her. Mother. _Admiral_ Jasemin Sia Shepard. A Turkish Admiral of Earth. Making all the decision for the Asia sector, which was _very _small, back when Maya was just a kid. The dictator of her life. Maya hated to admit it, but she wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for her mother's insults and beatings. It made her who she was now. Then there was father. A noble, honorable man who died fourteen years after she was born. _General _Alexander Shepard. A Russian general, loved by his people, hated by politics. He made it clear to his enemy, that he was a foe, who was not to be taken lightly. The rare combination of honor and cruelty. Her parents were happy together. Two Alliance _lapdogs, _as Maya used to call them. This combination of Russian stubbornness and Turkish cleverness made the Shepard family who they were now. Big Alliance heroes, starting with Kirin, creator of the Vanguard amp, and ending with Zira, the young, stubborn genius, with IQ higher than any other human before her. A true human Prodigy. Yes, the Shepard genes were perfect. All of them were made to be heroes. Led by their parents for greatness. And at the end it was worth it.

Suddenly, EDI interrupted Maya in her thoughts, making her jump a little. She still couldn't get used to her cold voice. "Commander ?"  
"Yes EDI ?" Maya asked, going back to her bed. "The person you wanted me to contact want to start a video chat" _Dener. After all this time i would finally see you. _Maya thought, as she stared at her fish tank. "Ok...Patch him through" Maya felt uneasy, nervously even. It was her brother, yes, but she haven't seen him for like two years. It felt strange. "Yes Commander" EDI replied, and Maya went to her computer. Tipping command codes to start their chat. She had to take deep breaths. Then suddenly a deep, firm voice startled her. "Who are you?" he had the same voice, he even looked the same as Maya remembered him. Emerald eyes. The typical Shepard trait. Her young brother. Still, she had to be sure. "Am i speaking with Dener Shepard ?" Maya tried to sound innocent but firm. And Dener was annoyed. He knew this woman wanted something. With a loud sigh, he said. "Drop the act, i know you know me. Who told you about ACHERON ? Who are you ?" he tried to analyze the woman who was talking with him. Those emerald eyes captured his attention. But there was a red taint in them. Something reminded him of his older sister. What came next completely took his breath away."You really don't recognize me, don't you kardeş ?" Maya smiled, closing her eyes and scratching the back of her head. Her characteristic movement. The one Dener knew very well. It hit him. This woman was his sister.

"Abla ?" he said, going backwards from the computer, as if he saw a ghost. Which was partly true. Maya knew he was frightened so she tried to lighten the mood a bit. "It's been a long time brother. How are you ?" Dener laughed sarcastically, shaking his head in the process. What was she asking ? "_How are you ? _After two years you ask this ?" he raised his voice in annoyance, how dare she ? Dener suddenly felt a lonely tear escaping his eye. Maya closed her eyes, unable to see her brother like this anymore. She stared at the table, she also could feel tears in her eyes but she shook her head, she had to remain strong. "I had no way to contact you brother, i'm sorry" Dener shook his head, unable to wrap his head around what he was hearing."Maya, you were dead. We were all at your funeral...What does this mean ?" Surely this was a bad joke. His sister was long dead, buried. This was...unbelievable. "Let me explain. I was dead for those two years, that's true. But Cerberus brought me back" Maya explained everything. How she woke up in the facility, how she met the Illusive Man. Everything she could think of. After she was done, Dener scratched his chin, absorbing everything Maya told him. Was this even possible ? "Cerberus ? It's hard to believe" he thought about those awful stories their mother used to tell them about Cerberus, and then again, he was an Alliance spy. He knew better than anyone what Cerberus was capable of. Maya smiled when she saw her brother so focused. "I know, trust me" And at this, Dener knew something was wrong. Something in his mind told him this was nothing more than a stupid Cerberus joke. "How can i ? How can i be sure it's really you ? For all i know you can be a goddamn Cerberus drone Maya !" he yelled, another tear leaving his eye at the thought that Cerberus somehow used Maya to make him fell guilty. Maya knew this would happen. Dener was always suspicious about everything. It was his characteristic trait that she loved about him. "I thought that dropping Acheron will make you sure it's me" Acheron. _The River of Dead. The last path to the Underworld. _Both Maya and Dener loved Greek history. A long, beautiful history and legends of people that were no more. Dener knew this. "I can't trust anything, or...anyone, in this matter. We are talking about my family here" could he really trust this woman ? His supposed sister ? "You've always been so suspicious and careful about everything Dener. Just like old times" it was really like him. Even in childhood he was like this. It was nice to see some things haven't changed. Maya thought about her other siblings. Were they the same ? Did they changed?  
Dener's rough voice brought her back from her thoughts. "It's my job to be suspicious." And he was right, being a Spy and all. Maya had an idea.

"Do you remember that time you fell from the horse on our ranch ? The one mother gave you when we were little ?" Dener raised his eyebrows at this sudden memory. It was one of those moments when they could both feel the indestructible bond between them.

* * *

_FLASHBACK : Ranch near Istanbul, 20 Years ago_

_"This is not fair ! Why don't i get a horse mama ? I'm older than him..." little Maya screamed at her mother, pointing at the large beast on their back yard, and then pointing at little Dener. Jasemin shook her head, giving a loud sigh. __"That's because his student results are far better than yours, young lady" Dener laughed, wide smile on his face. This made Maya even more angrier. "He's in the first grade Mama !" Maya said with a sad look on her face. Dener was now near his black horse, gently caressing him. Maya looked at him, calming a bit. Then she heard her mother and so she looked back at her. "Yes Maya, and he is still better than you. Now calm down, i'll be in the house" Jasemin said while leaving the two children alone on the big ranch. Dener's grin was far more bigger, and Maya was, again, annoyed by how happy he was. So annoyed in fact, that she quickly switched to the language her mother forbid her to use. "Перестань улыбаться!" ("Stop smiling !") Maya yelled loudly, crossing her arms on her chest. Dener laughed, shaking his head. "Эй, это ты начала, сестрёнка" ("Hey, you started it, sis") he stick his tongue out, pointing at Maya. She wanted to yell back but then both of them heard their mother yell at them from the house. "Çocuklar, (children) i told you to use either English or  
Turkish !" she yelled from the kitchen window. "Üzgünüm (sorry) Mama !" both Dener and Maya yelled simultaneously. Maya went to Dener and gave him a friendly punch to his shoulder and then hugged him tightly. Both of them could never be angry at each other for long. Then their attention was focused on the black stallion standing right next to them. _

_"He's beautiful" Dener said, gently caressing his black skin with the wet brush. Maya was stunned. This wild beast was indeed very beautiful. "Yeah...What will you call him ?" Maya asked, curious what would her young brother call this majestic creature. "I'm not sure sis. What do you think ?" Maya turned her head down, staring at the ground. A sudden sadness was in her face. "I don't know. He's yours after all" Maya wanted to walk away, but then Dener grabbed her by her hand. Smiling wildly, he said something that made Maya very happy. "Not mine, sis. Ours" he then gave her a kiss on the cheek. For his age, Dener was very clever and very protective over her older sister. Maya hugged him again, more tighter than ever. "So what should we call him ?" Dener asked, this time hoping for an answer. "I wonder what will Kirin think about him !"_

* * *

"Gemini..." Dener said, holding his neck in some kind of way of protection. He still remember the day he fell down from him. Maya smiled, glad that the memory that bound them was still on his mind. "I see you remember" Maya stared on the fish tank for a second, thinking about how happy they were back then."This doesn't prove anything" Dener was surprised with the tone of his voice. He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Maya, or himself. Maya had to continue on her own in this memory. "You fell... And do you remember what i did ?"

* * *

_Maya was in her room, playing her violin. She closed her eyes, savoring the sweet and beautiful melody she played. Her parents, along with Kirin and Dener went to train Gemini. Dener loved his horse, and Kirin was almost always annoyed by the sound of him yelling like there was no tomorrow. Maya never cared for that, instead she trained her best to ignore it. Suddenly, she heard the family coming back home earlier than always. Dener went into her room, showing Maya his bandaged arm, smiling wildly. "Look what the doctor gave me !" he yelled, a huge grin was on his face. Maya stared, not sure what to think about this whole situation. Then she saw Kirin coming into her room, smiling as shaking her head. "He fell from his horse, right Cowboy ?" Kirin came to her younger brother, her hand on his head, fingers in his hair. "Yeaah it was awesome" Dener laughed, showing exactly how he fell. Both Kirin and Dener laughed, but Maya was very sad. She could feel a lonely tear leaving her eye. She left her room in a hurry, making her way towards Gemini. Kirin and Dener went after her, yelling at her to stop. After few seconds they were in the stables, and Maya looked at the horse with disgust and anger. She ran towards him, punching him into his legs, yelling at him. "Ты животное! Это твоя вина! ТЫ почти убил его!" (You stupid animal ! This is your fault ! You nearly killed him !) Kirin quickly went after her, hugging her from behind, taking her away from the horse. "Успокоиться, сестра. __Успокоиться" (Calm down, sister. Calm down) Dener just stared, not understanding what was happening. Maya was crying, and so was Dener now. _

* * *

"Yes.." it was all back now. Dener remembered everything that happened, and he was now entirely sure that the woman before him, on the monitor, was his long lost sister. He wanted to hug her."I punched him... I thought he killed you. He hurt you so...i hurt him back" Maya said, suddenly feeling bad for hurting the poor animal. But it had to be done. "Sis...I missed you"

* * *

**_Alright ! Phew...This was a long one. + All that translating and proof reading. But im glad that most of you enjoyed, well i hope you did...You did right ? Anyway...thank for reading :)_**

**__****_A/N 22.8.13 = This fic. is temporary stopped. More info in my profile._**


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